Mail-box.



' J. E1 slmlm MAIL BOX.

APPLIOA'I'ION FILED MAILZE, 1910.

Patented July 5, 1910.

UNITED sfrir nm JOSEPH E. SHANE, 0F LITTLE RIVER, KANSAS, ASSIGN'QR OF (BNTELHALF 11"(3 I? '"i any Jil I. BRISBEN, 9F LITTLE RIVER, KANSJLB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

MAIL-BQX.

Fatentetit To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnrn E. SHANK, a citizen of the United States, residing at; Little River, in the county of Rice and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-loxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail boxes and more partieularlyto a box or receptacle especially designed for use on rural tree delivery routes.

The ob ect ot the invention is to provide a mail box, free to sw ng laterally in a horizontal plane. thereby to prevent injury to the box by contact with the wheels of a mail wagon when approaching said box to re ceive or deliver mail.

A further object is to provide a mail box having laterally extending arms for pivotal connection with a supporting post. or standard, there being a coil spring operatively connected with the post. and one of said arms for yieldably supporting the mail box in normal )osition.

A still urther object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and eflicieney.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the tofllowing description, it, being understoodthat various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim. e

For a full umlerstanding of the invention and the merits thereof, reference is to he had to the following, description and accompanying drawings, in \VlllCllZ.

Figure 1 i: a perspective view of a mail box constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional. view of the same partly in section; Fig. 3 is a top plan view partly in section.

(oi-responding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The device comprises a post or standard 5 preferably cylindrical in shape, as shown, and having its lower end split to form diverging anchoring men'ibe'rs 5 adapted .to be driven or otherwise embedded in the ground or secured to a suitable support, as desired.

Secured to or formed integral with the all v on said standard.

post or standard 5 are spaced collars it e lining a circumferential seating groo there being a similar collar 8 spaced fret eap piece 9 to form a corresponding c 10. The cap piece 9 engages the upper l of the standard 5, and is preferably QCHW t to the latter by a bolt or similar fast device 11.

Extending laterally in a horizontal pi from the upper end of the post or -wand 5 are diverging arms 12 and l t, havi'i converging ends united to term a tan tilting within the groove ill and pet with an eye for the reception of the st ard, thus to permit tl arms to swing lat 'lhe diverging es of the arms .12 and are bent. upwardly 1- produce spaced vertically disposed ling-e or straps 1.) for altaelnncnt to a mail box 3. the latter being of any suitable construction and provided with a pivoted lid or cover Disposed beneath the supporting arms l2 and I3). is an inclined brace 18 having its lower end tilting within the groove 7 and provided with an e vefor the standard?) and its upper end bent to l'ornrau attaching linger or st rap 19. which latter is riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the rear wall of the box between the attaching straps or lingtas 15. as best shown in Fig. l of the 5 drawings.

l)lr-.1)t) ttl beneath tl arms '12 and i3 is a coil spring il one end of \vhich is passed; through an opening it in the upper end the brace 18. while the other end of said spring is extended through transversely dis posed eyes 22 formed in the post or standard 5 between the collars t3 and h.

Thus it beseen thatthe spring 20 serves to yieldahly support the mail box to in normal position so that should the wheels of a mail Wagon strike the mail box when approaching the latter to receive or deliver mail, the he n 2 swing laterallv on his pivotal axis to either side of the standard without injury thereto, the spring 20 serving to form in effect a cushion for the mail bori and also servi: j to return the box to normal position after each swinging movement.

it will of course be understood that the mail box may be mounted for swingii movement in either a horizontal or vert, 5' plane and attached to any suitable soppo. 1 It will also be understood that the t le-vi.

may be attached to any style of stander.

and instead of being formed of metal may he ron 'truetecl of wood in which event the top of the post or standard will be provided with a metallic cap.

is ctninn d as new is:

The combination with zi. standard hn'ving spaced circumferential] seutinggrooves, of a mail box, diverging supporting arms having their outer ends rigidly secured to the opposite ends of the mail box and their inner ends united to form a head pivotally' mounted on the standard at one of the seating Ilnrin; thus demrihed the invention, what;

grooves, an inclined brace secured to the rear wall of theinail box between the d iverging supporting arms and provided with a similar head pu'otally mounted in the other groove of'the standard, and a spring having one end thereof secnred'to the standard anditsother end connected with the inchned bruce.-

In testimony whereof I athx my signature in preeenceof two witnesses.

JOSEPH E. SHANK. [In 5.] WVttneses:

Jenn P. Bmsimn', CHARLES C. B. SnUMNAY. 

